Tuesday, December 08, 2009

My Newsletter Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

From:    contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info
Date: Tue, December 8, 2009

LEONARD PELTIER DEFENSE OFFENSE COMMITTEE
November 10, 2009

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LOOKING TOWARDS 2010

Urgent Plea for the New Year

Well, no more beating around the bush. No one likes asking for money, but the
LPDOC needs a surge of financial support going into the new year. Among the
projects we have on the table is a full-page ad we have prepared for an
influential national news magazine signed by prominent activists, writers,
and editors. It calls on President Obama to grant Leonard immediate and
unconditional release and proposes a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to
investigate the Reign of Terror on Pine Ridge in the 1970s. But it will
remain on the table unless we can raise $3000 in the next week or so.

There are now several ways to contribute through paypal on the website, from
one-time donations to monthly or quarterly pledges. Please consider
pledging a monthly contribution for the upcoming year to give us the financial
stability to move forward and, hopefully, complete our task. We also have raffle
tickets and gift certificates available for Christmas presents that send a message of
justice and reconciliation.

Whatever your faith or beliefs, this is a season of homecoming, of giving,
and of reflection upon the past year and planning for the new one. For Leonard
Peltier, 2009 was a year of raised hopes and shattered dreams. On Jan. 13,
Leonard was brutally assaulted in an incident that the Bureau of Prisons
refused to acknowledge or release information on in response to a Freedom of
Information Act request by an AP reporter. Despite obtaining thousands of letters from
around the world in support of his parole, the U.S. Parole Commission on
Aug. 20 denied Leonard his well-deserved release on the basis of false and
unsubstantiated claims by the FBI and the Justice Department.

It is time to take a stand.

Help us give Leonard hope for a homecoming in the new year by contributing
what you can to his committee. The President has made Afghanistan his war, and
Leonard Peltier is now Barack Obama's political prisoner. Also, please
call the White House (202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414) and demand a Christmas pardon
for one of the longest-serving political prisoners in the world. If President Warren
Harding could free political prisoners for the holiday season in his first
year in office after World War I, we can expect no less of a president who
promised us changes for peace and human rights but now seems to be delivering more
of the same. If you contributed to the campaign of Barack Obama or any member of
congress, tell them you will instead send the money to the LPDOC unless and
until they get on board to help end the persecution of an indigenous freedom
fighter whose only crime was to defend human rights and self-determination in
Indian Country.

In the Spirit of Leonard Peltier,

Betty Ann Peltier-Solano
Executive Director
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

CONTINUE CALLING WHITE HOUSE

CALL THE WHITE HOUSE ~ 202-456-1111 ~ ASK PRESIDENT OBAMA TO FREE LEONARD
PELTIER.

THE LPDOC IS OFFERING ANOTHER RAFFLE

We are raffling a beautiful cedar wood flute hand crafted by gifted artist
Leslie C. Thunder Hawk. Leslie is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux
Tribe from the Rosebud Reservation.

Leslie comes from a long line of noted artists. He began making flutes and
drums in 1987. The flute is made from airomatic cedar wood or red heart redwood.
His own style is very original and his work has been displayed at museums
because of the craftsmanship he put into it.

The Indians Arts & Crafts Act of 1990 states, a person must be an
enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe to label their arts and crafts as
Indian made. His work has been in a number of galleries and has been displayed at
the U.S. Dept of Interior Sioux Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota, and The
Elizabeth M. Watkins Community Museum in Lawrence, Kansas.

Thank you Leslie for giving the gift of tradition.

We ask everyone to please buy a ticket to support our ongoing efforts for
Leonard's freedom.

Raffle tickets are $5.00 for one and $20.00 for five tickets. Please pay
through PayPal or through postal service. Include your name, address and phone
number.

Also, There are many paintings available, which vary in price and size.
All of his paintings are original native expressions of portraits of his visions.
Leonards oil paintings are collected by various people, including well known
names, such as Chelsea Clinton, Oliver Stone, Val Kilmer, Jane Fonda and
so many more admirers. His work will be enjoyed for centuries to come and we
encourage everyone to purchase an original painting or a lithograph of Leonards work.

"THE TRAGEDY OF LEONARD PELTIER VS. THE US" BY PETER MATTIESSEN

Peter Matthiessen's op-ed in response to the parole decision, "The Tragedy of
Leonard Peltier vs. the US," appears in the current issue of the New York
Review of Books (Volume 56, Number 18 · November 19, 2009). We encourage all
supporters to read the article. A link is provided at our home page at
www.whoisleonardpeltier.info. Please also write a letter to the editor of the
Review to express thanks for publishing the op-ed, but also to comment on its
content. The editor's address is Robert B. Silvers, Editor, The New York
Review of Books, 435 Hudson Street, Suite 300, New York, NY 10014. Mail your
letter or fax it to 212-333-5374. You may also send your comments by e-mail:
editor@nybooks.com

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www.whoisleonardpeltier.info

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